Cheepers

Well, I took the plunge this spring and ordered 15 heritage breed chickens from a reputable hatchery. I figured we'd never have chickens again unless we dove in, that necessity would drive coop building, etc. "Why 15 chickens?" you ask- because it was the minimum order due to shipping requirements for warmth, etc. I also figured we'd lose some to predators. And finally, it takes about 2 chickens per person if you want to supply all of your own eggs (one egg per person per day.)

I broke down and purchased a coop. I'm a cheapskate, so it was painful. But I figured that this coop would be a stopgap measure that I could resell when I no longer needed it, or be a future brooder house. It breaks down flat and pops together, will never need paint, is lightweight, and portable.

My son built a wheeled frame for it, and he's working on a hoop run of a design I adapted from a greenhouse I saw. It's constructed of a 2x4 frame, and bent cattle panels that make an arch. There's a framed door, and the whole thing is wrapped in ¼ inch 20 gauge wire. He was interested and willing, so I turned him loose with the project. He, of course, had to improvise and didn't quite grasp the necessity for not having ANY gaps in the wire, so although it is mostly finished, there's a lot of "buttoning up" that I need to do still. I'm not complaining though. I'm glad to have the help! This picture shows the framing and most of the cattle panels in place. (In the background is a stretch of board fence he replaced! GO, KID!) 

I plan to strap the coop above to the back of this run, and turn them out in it during the day to protect them from dogs, hawks, etc. And I hope to move it around the property so that they get to forage on a new section of grass every few days.  When we're out and about I hope to let them out of the run near us, but we'll have to see if they have a penchant for flying, are attracted to the woods, or refuse to go home. 

The chicks were hatched at an unfortunate time, the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend. That means that they didn't get shipped until Tuesday. It was a rough start. Because of this, a few of them have been battling "pasty butt" so I have been having recurring festivals of chicken rump scrubbing. In fact, one of them lost so much fluff around its vent, that I was afraid to put her back into the brooder with the rest of the "girls" for fear that she'd be pecked. So she's been in a box in the stone room on a desktop under a lamp. She likes to stick her head out of the hand-hole to peek at my children. She'll probably be the only tame one, since the others freak in unison for all feeding, watering, bedding changes, etc. Tending this many birds is a pain. They make a big mess.